Lock assembly for vehicles



June 23, 1931. J. B. FLYNN 1,811,004

LOCK ASSEMBLY FOR VEHICLES Filed Jan. 4, 1929 INVENTOR.

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Patented June 23, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN B. .FLYNLL OF DETROIT', MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO TERNST'EDT 'UFACTURING COMPANY, GF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A yCORIER.ATION yOF 'TICHIGAN LOCK ASSEMBLY FOR VEHICLIES` Appncation inea January 4, 1929. semina 330,240.

'Ihis invention relates to a lock assembly for vehicles with a b-olt adapted to be retracted against variant resistances.

In door lock assemblies for vehicles it is customary to provide a bolt whichmay be retracted in two ways, namely, automatically by the engagement of the bolt with the striker plate, or its equivalent, during the normal closing of the door and by retracting 1Q means operable either trom without or wit-hin the vehicle.

It is the object of this invention to present a lock assembly with a bolt that can be retracted automatically by the cani engage? ment of the boltJ head with the striker plate against a weak resistance and that can be retracted by retracting means operable from within or without the vehicle against a relatively strong resistance.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the lock assembly with parts broken away.

Fig. 2 is a section along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detailed view of the retracting slide.

Fig. 5 is a detailed view of the latch bolt.

Referring more particularly to the draw ings, the front plate of the lock will be referenced 1 and the face plate 2. Struck into the front plate are the guide lugs 3 for the reciprocable' bolt 4. The tace plate is provided with a lock bolt opening 5, the sides ot which also serve as guides for the bolt. Any suitable retracting means for the bolt may be provided. In this case I have provided a retracting means mounted on the front plate o and consisting of the spindle 6 upon which is mounted the handle 7 and the roll-back 8 which is adapted to slidably engage the rollback abutment 9. Also fixed to the front plate as at 10 is the bolt spring 11 which is adapted to resist the retraction ot the retracting slide 12.

The lock bolt, as shown in Fig. 5, consists of the bolt head 13, the punched in semicylindrical spring chamber 14 and the lug 15. The retracting slide 12 consists ofthe rollback abutment 9, the semi-cylindrical spring chamber 16 andthe lug 17against which the spring 11 is adapted to engage as'at 18. The retracting slide is provided with an elongated opening- 19,-the sides of which are tdapt'ed 'for slidablel engagement with the Lig-15. 1

As shown in Fig.2, the retracting slide is placed in slidable engagement with the lock bolt 4 so that the semi-cylindrical spring chambers 14 and 16-cooperate tovform a cylindrical chamber for the spring 20. The front plate 1 has an opening 21 through which the semi-cylindrical spring chamber 14 of the lock bolt 4 projects, and which opening al-V lows longitudinal movement of the portion 14 of the lock bolt. 1 i A Attached to the ro'nt plate isfthe rea-r latch frame 22 andthe frontlatch'frame 23 which has a lug 24 which serves-as a guide member for the roll-back abutment 9.y The operation of the latch bolt is as follows While the door is being closed the lock bolt head13 engages the striker plate or vits equivalent. lThis cam engagement of the bolt head with the striker plate causesthebolt to be retractedfagainst the action of the, weaker spring'20 which isV inclosed inthe chamber formed by the opposed portion`sf14 and 16 ofthe bolt and retracting slide. VSince the spring 20 lies free within the chamber formed by theportions 1'4 and 16 and since the lug portionv 15 of ythe' lock bolt is free to move in the opening i the retracting slide 12, the bolt while being Y thus retracted, acts only against the spring 20. While the spring 201s being retracted by the lock bolt, the retracting slide 12 is held stationary by the stronger spring 11.

Y When the lock bolt is retracted by the` hand operating means, the operation is as follows: The roll-back 8 operating through the rollback abutment 9 causes the retracting slide 12 to be retracted against the'resistanceotthe bolt spring 1'1. `The weaker spring 2O causes the lug 15 of the Ylock bolt 4 to hug the front side of the opening 19 inthe retracting slide 12 as at 25. Hence, when the retracting slide is retracted, it positively engages the lug 15 and thereby causes the bolt 4 to be retracted.

From the above description it is evident that I have provided a door lock assembly with two springs of different strengths where-l 1. In a door lock, a reciprocablebolt ar#` ranged to enga-ge a keeper and having a semicylin'drical portion, a slide having a semi-cylindrical portion and adapted to slidably engage said bolt, said semi-cylindricalportion of the bolt adapted to cooperate with the semi- Vcylindrical portion of the slide to form a4 chamber, andresilient means in said chamber for resisting relative movement between said slide and said bolt, and resilient means of greater strength for projecting said slide and bolt whereby the bolt alone can be retracted against the resistance of the weaker resilient means and the bolt and slide against the resistance ofthe stronger resilient means.

2. A latch comprising a frame, a bolt carried by said-framehavng a plurality of relatively slidable parts, a spring for holding said parts inyieldable relation, retracting means for the said bolt including a handle androl'lback, a fixed stop for the said rollback, one of said bolt parts yieldably abutting the said rollback and another of saidbolt parts being arranged'to engage akeeper, anda bolt'spring orprojecting. the said boltfwherebythe rollbackfis held against'therollback stop and the handle is held 4in .a pre-determined position.

3. A latch comprising a framehaving Ya flange, -a bolt carried by the said .framehaw ing a plurality of relatively slidable parts, a spring 'for holding said parts in yieldable relation, retracting means including a rollback andhandle for the saidbolt, the said latch :trame `flange adaptedto serve as a stop .for .the said rollback, one of said bolt parts engaging the said rollback Yand -anothenofsaid parts arranged to engage a keeper, and a bolt spring stronger than the vaforementioned spring :for projecting the said bolt whereby the rollback is held yieldably against the latch frame flange to hold the handle in a `pre-determined positionlirrespective of the extent of the; projection of said keeper vengaging part. f

4. A latch comprising a frame, a composite bolt carried by the said frame having a plurality oi' relatively movable parts, one of said parts having a bolt head adapted to interengage a Vkeeper and the other of said partsV adapted to operatively engage retracting means vfor the saidV bolt, retracting means for thev said bolt, anda bolt spring stronger than the Vaforementioned springfforprojecting the said bolt, the said vstronger boltspring at all `timesexerting a positive pressure upon'the retracting-means to move and maintain the rctracting'means in a predetermined vposition irrespective of the extent of projection of the Y said keeper engaging part of the bolt.

In testimony whereof I have aixed my signature.

JOHN B. FLYNN. 7 

